This invention relates to multi-player game inventions, including multi-suit or 4-"suit" (13-cards per suit) 52-card "deck" cardgames, and more particularly relating to those types of cardgames employing alphabet characters; and additionally, the elementary teaching of an orderly sequencing of such alphabet characters to form words via use of supplemental alternate-symbol indicia.
Heretofore, inventors have contrived various ways of utilizing the notion of compact hand-held deck-cards to achieve an entertaining socially-interactive genera, as well as for educational purposes. Background research discovery provides some interesting prior patent-art regarded as germane to this disclosure. Chronologically for example U.S. Pat. No. 1,312,278 (filed: November 1918 shows an early alphabet card-game having twenty-six cards bearing clue pictographs associating a particular letter of the alphabet with an appropriate object (such as "M" for "mask" or "mill"); plus, any number of additional playing-cards bearing an alphabet-font character only. The game-plan is such that the person correctly spelling the most objects before the cards are exhausted therefore wins!.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,360 (filed: February 1950) is an educational apparatus employing use of playing-cards having an upper-case alphabet-character appearing centered on the obverse-side and a matching lower-case alphabet-character likewise appearing centrally upon the reverse-side. A vertically-tiered shelf-workboard is included for placement of these playing-cards in sequencing as desired to spell words; but no game-plan is contemplated.
In U.S. Pat. No. D-56,985 (filed: January 1921) an early ornamental graphic-design for a set of playing-cards is shown. To that extent, there are 26-pictographs displayed individually along with an appropriate alphabet-character depicting the first letter in the spelling of that illustrated object, including complete spelling for the pictograph object is shown; plus an "ABC" graphic-design for the back-sides thereof. Therefore, there is no apparent game-plan nor contemplation indicated for "pairing" of these playing-cards, and the cards can inadvertently appear upside-down to the player.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,557,324 (filed: February 1923, shows an early word-forming card game having two-suits or 26-cards representing all the letters of the alphabet, including optical clue-object pictographs such as an animal-head represented in phantom-outline upon alphabet-font card-"A", the player thus said to ostensibly associate "animal" with the character "A". Hence, while the notion of providing a pictograph object, the name of which corresponds to the alphabet-font both shown on the front-side of the card, --the game-plan is nevertheless all together different (and the cards can inadvertantly appear upside-down to the player). For example, the inventor differently teaches that: a.) to "pair" has no contemplated significant's in the game; b.) the inventor employs two identical card-suits, but for the only purpose of convenience in spelling words; c.) the inventor only employs pictographs in a "non-specific" arbitrary sense, in as much as his FIG. 2 example, showing "A" stands for "animals" (not "H" for Horse), thus "Z" could not really stand for "Zebra" states that a player can "all out Horse" whereupon an opponent if in possession of an "H"-card, will place such card on the table, along with the "O"-card, etc. if available (but it is presumed in this instance that it is when employing the non-pictographed cards of the FIG. 1 example.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,654,712 (filed: December 1959) a hand-portable spelling kit is shown, and as such contemplates no "pairing" procedure; and the pictographs are displayed upon the back-side of the card opposite to the alphabet-character displayed on the front-side for example. The object of the alphabet-kit is to enable the student to arrange letters in a provided display-tray, that the student may readily uphold their selected arrangement of alphabet-characters for a teacher to examine in a busy classroom environment (without the time consuming procedure of having a deciphera student's difficult handwritten scrawlings).
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,513 (filed: April 1978) a more relevant disclosure sets forth playing-cards having a 4-point diamond configuration wherein both the upper and lower case of alphabet characters are oppositely imprinted in side-by-side fashion near both narrowed outer-ends of the cards; -such as Aa, Bb through Zz. No two cards are graphically alike, and it is claimed that each card has a first and second vertical corner (narrow points), plus a first and second horizontal corner (wide points), in which the length of the card between it's vertical corners is greater than the width of the card between it's horizontal corners; -and the length is about twice that of the width. Plus, there are preferably 26-cards in each of 4-suits, with the second-letter (middle-letter) of a three-letter sequence arranged centrally upon the cards delineating enlarged letters of the alphabet A-Z.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,431 (filed: February 1979) is shown in rather complex word-building teaching-aid in particular featuring playing-cards having clue pictographs (ref. FIG. 7 detail) in combination with an appropriate alphabet-font character. The invention includes a carry-case arranged on one side with three tiered drawers holding 3-dimensional color-coded letters, and on another side with the plurality of eighteen vertically spaced apart leaf-hinged clue-pictograph cards; but there is no game-plan per'se.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,996 (filed: October 1989) a playing-card word-game is set forth, in which a capital-letter of the alphabet is included in both diagonal upper-left/lower right corners of each card, so as to thereby assemble letters to form a word; whereupon different point-values are totaled from the particular cards used to form a word.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,113 (filed: December 1990) an educational "phonics" playing-card game for pre-schoolers is set forth, which is conceptually relatively complex; wherein cards are delt to each player, and another to the middle of the table. There are provided eight decks of cards; -the cards exhibiting an upper-case letter comprise two decks, the cards exhibiting a lower-case letter comprise a single deck; -then there are short-vowel and long-vowel word cards, both being elongated in shape, each having a single deck; plus, there is a deck having a shorter matching set of short or long vowel words; and, a deck of cards exhibiting words having one or more syllables. There are eighty-four upper-case letter cards, three for each letter of the alphabet; -plus, three extra W and Y cards each. The decks divide the alphabet in half; -the first half, A-M containing 39-cards, the second-half N-Z containing 45-cards. One point is earned when a player audibly correctly pronounces a given letter group, and 6-points earns a star; -the player with the most stars thus winning!
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,976 (filed: December 1991) an alphabet teaching playing-card game having 50-cards(2-groups of 25-cards) for at least 2-players is set forth; the purpose of which being, to learn the fundamental order of letters in the alphabet. The cards exhibit a single upper-case letter on each side, side-1 for example showing an "A" (preceeding), side-2 showing a "B" (succeeding), and so on; whereby the player is required to announce that alphabet-letter (preceeding/succeeding) obverse to that which they are shown. The first player to announce a predetermined number of points, such as 26, becomes the winner.
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,714 (filed: April 1991) a method of playing a Klondike-solitaire wordconstruction card game is shown, -comprising 52-cards, 50 of which exhibit a single large letter of the alphabet centered thereon. The two blank wild-cards representing any letter of the alphabet desired; -words may be assembled vertically on a single column, or somewhat diagonally across.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,432 (filed: March 1994) is shown an alphabet playing-card game comprised of 52-cards of two identical suits (distinguished via two different color markings), including optional alphabet-font character associative clue pictographs thereon each card. There is no provision to negate confusingly inverted (180-degree rotation) card reading, nor is there contemplation of over/under arrangement of upper/lower alphabet-font characters in the card corner; although a game-plan involving paring combinations of like alphabet or pictograph cards is provided.
Additionally, reference is given to the three well known "Jack/Queen/King" graphic representations traditionally embellishing orthodox sanctioned playing-cards; noting that the motif is essentially divided horizontally along it's central median, but limited to these three particular cards only. The purpose of this arrangement being to obviate inadvertant 180-degree upside-down appearance which could otherwise cause some graphic confusion; however, these incarnations are not to be construed as object clue pictographs giving hint as to word association with alphabet-font characters.
Therefore, in full consideration of the preceding patent review, there is determined a need for an improved form of device to which these patents have been largely addressed. The instant inventor hereof believes their new educational playing-card game method, commercially referred to as the PAIR!! OR NOT!!.TM., currently being developed for production under auspices of the Hagedorn-Mfg./Mkt. Co., exhibits certain advantages as shall be revealed in the subsequent portion of this instant disclosure.